


To Make Peace

by letsgofriday



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Kink Discovery, Knifeplay, Painplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24794896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgofriday/pseuds/letsgofriday
Summary: Ty Lee assists Mai in her nightly knife-cleaning ritual.
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 81





	To Make Peace

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, this fic includes knife-play, mentions of blood and pain. It also discusses the aftermath of war, and has characters with symptoms of trauma and CPTSD. If this is an issue for you, feel free to read up until the culmination of the sex scenes. Otherwise: enjoy!

This was a job for the handmaidens, Mai thought bitterly as she ran her hands down her own body, carefully undoing all the fastenings and straps that held her myriad of tiny knives, shuriken, stilettos, and daggers in place. Every morning and evening, her handmaiden, a girl just slightly older than her would assist her in cleaning, polishing, and placing each of her beloved daggers.

It was a ritual for Mai, one that she held dearly. She had worn knives on her body since the age of eleven, but the ritual had begun before that, when Mai had received a set of tiny daggers from her grandfather for her eight birthday, their shining golden handles inlaid with precious gems and pearls. The set had been much too precious and inappropriate for a child, Mai’s mother had declared, and the beautiful set had been placed on the top shelf of a display cabinet, ostensibly out of young Mai’s reach.

It was no challenge for the young girl. In less than an hour, she had learnt how to pick locks, and so the daggers were retrieved with little effort on her part. On her parent’s part, well. Mai reckoned they thought the daggers were still in the cabinet on the top shelf, awaiting Mai’s betrothal – the appropriate time for such a gift.

Every evening of her adolescence was spent with a polishing kit and a handmaiden. The handmaiden did the greasy work, while Mai lovingly arranged the weapons back in their carrying cases – excluding the few she kept on her body even in sleep. This ritual had carried on for years uninterrupted, until Azula came knocking.

There, Mai found herself without a handmaiden, or a polishing kit, and severely lacking on time. Azula had scorned the concept of knives as a whole, declaring that if one had the misfortune to be a non-bender, then they had ought to make themselves useful and learn sword-fighting. At least then, she had said darkly, a life could be taken in an instance. Mai neglected to point out that a dagger to the heart would do similar.

And then came the now. And Mai was still without a handmaiden. She hadn’t returned to the Fire Nation. There was nothing for her there anymore. The Earth Kingdom it was. There were some upsides to life in Ba Sing Se. There was more life in just the Upper Ring alone than in all of Caldera City. Any type of food, clothing or item that she wanted, she could find. The downsides? The smell, the dimmer sun and the fact that the half-wit servants in Ba Sing Se had no idea how to care for the weapons. Indeed, she had to summarily dismiss them all after one servant began to file down a blade with a diamond-file. The _idiocy_ , Mai fumed.

So that left her to the job by herself. And while she would rather do the job herself and have it done right; it still took a long time. Mai wore _a lot_ of knives. So much so that in order to complete her task correctly, she found herself skipping out on spending time with Ty Lee in the evenings. She lived with her friend, because she didn’t know anyone else in the city. When Ty Lee had turned to her at the end of the war, blood smeared across her face and tears in her eyes to tell her she wanted to dedicate her life to peace and love, Mai had rolled her eyes and followed. This journey for peace led Ty Lee to Ba Sing Se, to starting an academy that dedicated itself to the fine art of circus training. How that incorporated peace and love, Mai wasn’t quite sure. She had never visited the school herself.

The knives weren’t even getting all that much use. Mai’s days consisted mostly of lounging in the house, lounging in the garden, dining alone as Ty Lee held her night classes, and then her evening ritual. Every afternoon she practiced firing daggers in the garden, but the appeal of the unchanging environment soon wore off.

Mai was roused from her aimless thoughts, rubbing a cloth over and over the blade she’d picked up in a market in Omashu, by a loud rap on the door to her quarters. She looked around for a servant to open the doors, but none were to be seen. Typical, she thought, dragging herself to her feet. Why have serving staff at all if they didn’t fulfil basic duties?

Opening the door revealed Ty Lee, dressed in a pink sleepwear set with long flowing silk robe. Her hair was down from her usual high braid, and flowed over her shoulders. In the warm glow of the evening sun, she looked vibrant, radiant, all the things Mai did not feel. The younger girl gave her a bright grin. “Hi Mai-mai!” she intoned cheerfully, skipping into the room.

“Ty Lee,” Mai acknowledged, shutting the door and retaking her seat at the large desk where she was working. She had three blades in their carrying cases, wrapped in soft cloth, and one in the process of being cared for. That left Mai with an estimated hour plus more of work, if Ty Lee didn’t interrupt her further.

It would be foolish to wish for such a thing, Mai considered, watching Ty Lee bound around the room, examining the minimal personal touches Mai had added.

“What are you doing here, Ty Lee?” she questioned, resuming the work of dabbing the first cream of five onto the blade with a soft buffing cloth. “I’m in the middle of cleaning my knives.”

“Ooh!” Ty Lee exclaimed, moving closer to her friend. “I’ve never seen you do this before.”

“I usually have assistance,” Mai admitted. “But the servants here are particularly incompetent. Thus, the task falls to me alone. It takes some more time than previously.”

Ty Lee contemplated her closely, head titled to one side. “I could help,” she offered. “I’m not experienced, but at the very least you do not judge me incompetent.”

Mai considered this offer. It was true that Ty Lee would follow direction well. Likewise, it was true that she needed assistance if she were to return to a more active lifestyle in the city. “Perhaps,” she acknowledged. “Thank you, Ty Lee.”

The younger girl smiled softly at her, then gestured at the table. “I’ll watch you do this one, and then I can start on the next while you supervise.”

And so it went, Mai using the five separate creams on each side of the blade, consecutively rubbing, buffing and shining as she went. She placed the blade carefully inside a pouch of silk, then into a wooden case that snapped shut with a crack.

“Okay,” Ty Lee said, once the ritual had been demonstrated to her. “My turn. Where’s the next knife?”

“On my body,” Mai returned, gesturing at her body, obscured by floor length red and black robes. She had refused, when she first moved to the Earth Nation city, to wear the local dress. It was most distasteful, wearing green. At first it made her an oddity in the streets. Now it did not mark her out any longer, as the streets were filled with clothing of all shades.

“I do not remove a blade until I am certain I have time to care for it. It would not do to remove all blades, which would leave me vulnerable should someone attack. It would give them access to a not-insignificant number of weapons, and also leave me near-defenseless.”

“Smart!” gushed Ty Lee. “Can I choose the next one?”

“Absolutely not,” Mai scoffed. “You are my friend, but what’s to say you won’t be turned against me? No one except me and a handmaiden knows the exact locations of my blades, and even then, the handmaiden only knows after she has been in my sole employ for some time.”

“Oh,” sighed Ty Lee. “I guess that makes sense. I’ll close my eyes while you take another off, then,” she muttered, eyes falling shut.

Mai rolled her eyes, but dutifully extracted some shuriken from her sleeves, and placed them in front of Ty Lee.

Unsurprisingly, the girl was a quick study. In the setting light of the sun, the two sat quietly together, only a few words shared between them as Mai instructed her friend in the art of blade maintenance by example, rather than instruction. Time passed slowly, dropping like honey. Mai felt warm inside, the companionship doing her good in her cold heart. They made quick work of the blades, Ty Lee obediently shutting her eyes each time a new weapon appeared.

Soon, they were down to the last one, and Mai shut the case with an air of finality. The three remaining knives on her body would stay there until Ty Lee left.

“Is that all?” Ty Lee questioned, and Mai nodded. Ty Lee smiled cheekily at her. “I find that hard to believe. I counted them. You would never let me know how many weapons there were on your person. There must be more.”

“There are,” Mai acknowledged. “But I never remove every knife from my body.”

Ty Lee’s mouth opened in a pink circle of shock. “Not even when you bathe?” she questioned, her tone alight with curiosity.

“I have knives of certain compositions that are not affected by repeated water exposure,” Mai divulged. Ty Lee nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I would love to see where you place all your knives on your body,” Ty Lee said, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, I don’t mean to invade your privacy. I just find it fascinating to know that your slender form could mask such a number of weapons.”

Mai felt a warmth rush to her face – what was this, was she _blushing_? That would simply not do. She turned from Ty Lee to face the window. The sun was almost set, the last golden glows spreading across the horizon. Here, in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, the sun’s rays did not reach as far as in the Caldera, blocked by the dense buildings and high walls that surrounded the district.

“Mai?” Ty Lee’s voice came from behind her, on her left. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“No,” Mai managed to voice. “Not uncomfortable. It is just an intimate act for me, to reveal my knives. I would have to trust my companion deeply.”

“Do you not trust me?” Ty Lee questioned softly. She rested a hand on Mai’s shoulder, stroking softly.

Mai paused. Ty Lee had stood beside her at all moments, from their shared childhood experiences at the Academy, to the bizarre journey with Azula, to fighting alongside her in the war. She did trust her, Mai realized. Ty Lee was an open book, projecting her thoughts, feelings, and emotion as she went about her life. Mai was the polar opposite. She thought about how few people in her life knew her. Azula liked to think she did, but Azula liked to think she knew the human condition intimately. Her parents thought they knew her, or rather, knew what was best for her. But they were incorrect. Zuko had thought he had known her, but Zuko did not seem to know himself anymore.

It seemed like Ty Lee was the only one who knew her. She had never felt uncomfortable with her friend, never wished she were elsewhere. With Ty Lee, she felt warmed, as if the aura of peace and serenity that Ty Lee claimed she sported was affecting Mai too. She felt like she did not have to do everything herself, that she did not always have to be in control.

“I do,” she voiced in a near silent tone. Ty Lee’s hand moved in ever-patient pulses on her shoulder. “I will show you.”

Mai arose from her chair, and Ty Lee fell back to give her space. Mai slowly undid the catch of her sash that gathered the dark robes against her body. It was not necessary to do so, for Mai would never wear a weapon that was not easily accessible in the heat of battle. The remaining knives were strapped to both upper arms, one on a chain around her neck and one beside her undergarments. All could be removed from her wide-armed flowing garments at a moment’s notice. Mai knew that she could just whip the weapons from their spots. She did not do so.

The robes spilled loose from her body, and Mai silently pulled the sash loose and dropped it to the floor. Next to go was the black overcoat. Mai was left standing in just her red shift dress, with its wide bell sleeves.

“There – there’s a set of buttons at the back,” she said hoarsely. Ty Lee approached her softly, and ran her warm hands down Mai’s back before coming back up to unfasten the first button, then the next and the next. In a matter of moments, Mai’s gown threatened to slide straight off her body, held in place only by Ty Lee’s dexterous fingers.

“You can let go,” whispered Mai, and Ty Lee did so. The dress dropped to the ground, pooling around Mai’s feet, which were still clad in her house slippers. Wordlessly, she kicked them off, and she was left standing in front of her friend in just her silk undergarments, and her knives. She had never stood quite so exposed in front of anybody.

Ty Lee extended a hand questioningly, and Mai nodded. The other girl’s warm hands stroked across Mai’s biceps, across the cool metal that was fastened there with arm bands. She dragged her fingers up and across Mai’s collarbones, coming to rest on the golden chain that supported a shuriken hanging from it like a grotesque imitation of jewelry. The shuriken hung between Mai’s breasts, and Ty Lee followed the lead of the chain down, stroking gently past her chest, to rest on the blades.

Mai’s breathe caught in her throat. Ty Lee smiled gently at her, running the edge of her thumb against the sharp star edge of the shuriken. Her finger stuck, and a bead of hot red blood appeared on her finger. Ty Lee gave a soft huff of laughter and stuck her finger in her mouth to suck off the blood, thumb pushing out of her mouth with a loud _pop_.

Ty Lee gently pushed Mai’s head down to slip the chain over her head, and then worked on the fastenings for the bicep knives. “Are there more?” Ty Lee asked, eyes roving Mai’s body.

“I – yes.” Mai took her hand gently, and led it down her body, across her stomach and skimming across her mons pubis to rest on her inner thigh, where one last blade was situated. Ty Lee dropped to her knees, pulling the dagger out of the sheath in order to look at the blade better, her hot breath wetting the inside of Mai’s thighs further.

The dagger was possibly the most petite in her collection, silver with a needle thin blade. On the handle in the traditional fire nation script, in the smallest lettering possible, was the character for solitude.

“It’s beautiful,” Ty Lee whispered. She looked up at Mai, making eye contact. “You’re beautiful.”

Mai felt like she was melting. Ty Lee’s warm eyes bore into her own, unblinking. The girl’s hand was petting her inner thigh in a soft, delicate motion, coming _so_ close to where Mai desperately wanted her hand to be, but edging away each time she got near.

“You can take it off me,” Mai managed to rasp out. Ty Lee nodded unhurriedly, sliding the blade back into the leather, and began to slowly, oh so achingly slowly, undo the small buckle that held the sheath in place. 

Ty Lee’s fingers worked their way under the leather strap and tugged it down slowly, leaving goosebumps behind in their wake.

“Is that all?” Ty Lee breathed. Mai nodded her head, not trusting her voice to stay steady. She was always composed. It wouldn’t do to fall apart like this.

Ty Lee tilted her head and smiled, almost as if she had heard the thought running through Mai’s mind. “I like seeing you like this,” she ventured. She was holding the final blade on Mai’s body in her hands, and Mai was, for once, truly naked.

“You’re always so in control,” Ty Lee continued. “So calm and collected.” Mai didn’t feel like any of those things right now. Ty Lee, kneeling by her legs, was playing with the sheath of the dagger.

“Take it out,” Mai said hoarsely. Ty Lee gazed up at her for a moment, then obliged, slipping the silver dagger out and pushing the holster away. She spun it between her fingers, unsure but unafraid. Ty Lee had never fought with weapons, and they were as foreign to her as the idea of bending was to Mai.

Slowly, she rose the dagger up, and rested it against Mai’s leg. Mai shivered, the cold metal even more present against her sweat-wicked skin. Ty Lee slid it slowly up Mai’s leg, then turned it over again to rest the cool side once more on Mai’s skin.

“I think we should go to the bed,” Ty Lee said quietly, standing up. Mai nodded greedily, and made for the large bed on a dais in the center of the room. She sat on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with herself. Ty Lee joined her, sitting down beside her.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Mai whispered back. Ty Lee stuck out a hand, and Mai held it, feeling the small warm hand in her own.

“Are you alright?” Ty Lee asked, voice low. Mai thought about it for a second. She wasn’t really sure what was happening, but she wanted it, whatever form _it_ took. She nodded and Ty Lee looked a mite relieved.

“What do you want me to do for you?” she continued.

Mai, to her horror, felt herself blush. She wanted everything Ty Lee would give her. But there was something about being without her knives that left her unsettled. If there was a way to have both Ty Lee and her blades, well, that would fulfil any wishes she had. “I…liked it when you touched me. With the blade.”

Ty Lee’s eyes widened. “You want more of that?” she questioned, watching Mai’s face.

Mai nodded, squirming under Ty Lee’s intensive gaze. “It felt right,” she said simply.

“I can do that for you,” Ty Lee said, her voice deep and warm. “Let me know if you want me to stop or if it hurts.”

Mai hadn’t considered the potential for pain. But the more she thought about it, the warmer she felt inside.

“Come here, lie back,” Ty Lee said, fluffing up some pillows. Mai obliged, scooting backwards. She lay back against the pillows, watching Ty Lee as she situated herself on her knees on the bed, crouching over Mai’s prone body.

“How do you want it?” she asked Mai, holding the dagger in her hand.

Mai considered the question. She was feeling so worked up, but there was no point ending it all so quickly either.

“Tease me,” she decided on. Ty Lee smiled at her, pupils blown in her dark eyes. She held up the dagger for Mai to see, then slowly, steadily, brought it down to meet Mai’s stomach, over her silk underclothing.

Ty Lee dragged the blade upward on Mai’s stomach, flat against her skin. As long as she didn’t move, Mai realized, she wouldn’t be hurt. The dagger continued on its path upward, rounding the top of her breasts before looping down over her nipple.

Mai shivered as the residual chill of the dagger pressed through her undergarments, her nipple becoming erect at the touch of the cold steel, becoming visible through the material. Ty Lee repeated the action on the other breast, then leant forward to capture a nipple in her mouth. Mai gasped, a rush of warmth filling her whole body, but most of all in her core.

Ty Lee continued to suck and nip at her breast, paying attention to both equally. Mai was filled with a desperate need for more, so she said so in gasping breaths.

The other girl looked at her for a second, then moved further down her body with the knife, always dragging the flat side. “How sharp is this,” Ty Lee whispered, her voice rough and filled with wanting.

“I don’t know, I – I’ve never used it,” Mai gasped, forcing herself to hold still.

Ty Lee chuckled, flipped the knife around and held it up. “What do you think, will it cut through silk?” she asked huskily.

Mai panted, “I can’t see why not.”

Her lover grinned, and brought the tip of the knife down against the top seam of Mai’s underwear. She ran the dagger oh so carefully down the underwear, the tip of the knife passing right over Mai’s swollen clit. Mai whimpered, desperate for some attention of that sort.

Ty Lee brought the dagger up again to the top of Mai’s underwear, and began slicing through her undergarments. The knife flowed through the silk effortlessly, and within seconds Mai had been divulged of her clothes and left exposed, naked and longing.

She gasped as Ty Lee moved to the end of the bed, and held her feet. “Spread your legs, darling,” she encouraged, and Mai unthinkingly did what she said, settling her legs wide enough for Ty Lee to settle in between them.

Ty Lee grinned once more, and in a movement reminiscent of a pygmy puma stalking its prey, crawled up the length of Mai’s body, settled herself in the V of Mai’s legs, spread her inner lips and licked her once, twice, three times with astonishing accuracy for exactly where would make Mai _scream_.

“Oh Agni,” she moaned, eyes screwed shut in ecstasy. Ty Lee laughed against her, and the vibrations caused Mai to moan again. Ty Lee set about licking, nibbling gently and blowing cold air against her clit with abandon, each moment perfectly timed that the wave of pleasure that Mai found herself riding never ended.

She felt Ty Lee’s finger press against her entrance, and she eagerly shifted her hips forward to meet her, relishing the sensation of her skilled fingers breach her and begin a complementary thrusting motion that somehow, if it were even possible, only added to the sensations rocking over Mai.

Mai wasn’t certain how much time had passed, only that she felt closer and closer to the edge with every expert lick and kiss. She blindly reached down and grabbed ahold of Ty Lee’s loose flowing hair that spilled down either side of Mai’s body, pulling it in ecstasy. “Oh Agni, Ty Lee!” she cried. “I think I’m-“

The sensation abruptly stopped, and Mai wrenched her eyes open to see Ty Lee sitting back on her heels, a smug smile on her face. “Not so quick,” she admonished, retrieving the knife. “You want an opportunity for some of this, right?”

Mai desperately nodded, and Ty Lee reapplied herself to tracing patterns on Mai’s skin, ever so lightly, with the tip of the blade. Mai lay staring at the ceiling, desperate for Ty Lee to return to eating her out, but simultaneously desperate for her to never stop running the knife over her skin. The pinprick of pressure, the need to hold herself still for fear of pain, the thrill at the thought of the pain… They all mixed together into a heady arousing sensation that had Mai weak in the head and gasping for more, _more._

“More?” Ty Lee asked, and Mai realized she had spoken aloud. “What type of more?” her lover continued, moving the knife in a pattern that Mai recognized as the character for worship.

“I want…” Mai panted, “I want to feel it.”

Ty Lee paused and moved up Mai’s body to look her in the eyes. “Are you sure? It’s not very safe.”

“Neither is this,” Mai scoffed in an impatient tone. “I’m not moving but it’s so hard. I’m not afraid of more.”

“Okay,” Ty Lee replied, moving back down Mai’s body. “I’m going to cut you with your own dagger,” she said a low tone. The dagger was dragged over Mai’s skin once more, flat side down. “I’m going to spill your own blood, hot and red and _alive,_ and you’re going to let me.”

“I wonder where I’ll do it,” she continued. “And what mark? Should it be on your breasts?” – she took the pinpoint of the dagger and pressed it more solidly than she had done before into the soft flesh on Mai’s left breast – “or maybe on your ass, so you feel it every time you walk for a few days?”

Mai moaned, and scrambled for purchase against the silken bedsheets. Ty Lee giggled and gently slipped two fingers back into Mai, who clenched tightly around them, hot and wet. Ty Lee made an approving sound and curled her fingers up as Mai moved her hips in a desperate fashion, grinding herself onto the digits that filled her so thoroughly.

“Or maybe,” Ty Lee persisted as Mai whimpered her need, “maybe you’d like me to cut you open right where you keep this very dagger? Right at your core, in the most intimate part of yourself.” Mai whined loudly at the thought, heat rushing to her head. “That way, you can’t wear this dagger for a few days, just to make the impact last. And you’ll always remember this moment, every time you go to place it back there.”

Mai panted loudly, whimpering her approval for this idea. Ty Lee smiled softly, pressing her thumb _finally_ against Mai’s swollen clit. The touch set waves of heat shooting down Mai’s skin, and she writhed in the sheets, arching her back and pressing down in an attempt to chase the sensation further.

To her dismay, Ty Lee instead withdrew her fingers completely from Mai’s body, before leaning forward and licking Mai’s clit once more. Mai thrust back trying to entice more attention from Ty Lee, but instead the girl had picked up the dagger once more.

Mai’s clit _throbbed_ , and she felt waves of pleasure roll down her body at merely the sight of the weapon, the knowledge of what lay ahead. Ty Lee pushed her left leg further aside, and stretched the soft, supple skin of her inner thigh to a taut point.

“You’ve got to stay still for me, darling,” Ty Lee whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you any further than I intend.”

Holding the dagger in her right hand, Ty Lee laid the point against Mai’s stretched skin. “All good?” she asked again, and when Mai bit out a desperate “ _please_ ,” she laughed and applied more pressure than she had previously done.

Mai bit her lip hard as the pinprick of the knife went through her skin. The sensation wasn’t supremely painful, but the knowledge of what Ty Lee was doing was enough to keep her inner fire roaring. Ty Lee breathed out heavily, and lifted her hand, stained red with small droplets of blood.

“Look at this,” she exhaled wonderingly. “Look at your lifeblood. What’s pumping through your veins. What’s giving you that pretty red blush, what’s keeping you alive.”

“More,” Mai begged, and Ty Lee bent her head again and the pressure resumed. Mai could feel the sharp, acute pain as the knife sliced slowly through her skin, pressure constant and unshaking.

Mai had experienced pain in her life. Hell, every day on that crazed power-trip of Azula’s all but guaranteed pain, up until she had gotten what she wanted. And then, when she lost what she had, it was only more pain for Mai, just less of the physical kind, and more of the kind that made Ty Lee sigh and mutter about bad omens and auras being darkened. 

But this pain… It was different. Knowing she could stop, the deep dark look in Ty Lee’s eyes, and the symbolic resonance of it being her own knife all combined to create a heady rush of pleasure for Mai each time the knife made minute movements.

Ty Lee lifted the knife, leaned forward and gently licked into Mai once more, stimulating her clit briefly before pulling back and returning to her ministrations. Mai moaned at the absence of the warm mouth, at the appearance of pain anew, at the situation as a whole.

“What – what are you writing?” Mai gasped out, straining her neck in an attempt to see. It felt like Ty Lee was drawing a compound word, stroke by stroke.

“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously, moving the knife with a flourish. Mai gasped as she felt the trickle of hot blood for the first time on her inner thigh, as it flowed free of the deepest gash Ty Lee had thus far created.

“I’m done,” Ty Lee said with an air of finality, pressing the flat part of the blade firm against Mai’s inner lips momentarily before setting it aside.

“Can I look now?” Mai pleaded, as Ty Lee rubbed her clit in slow, tantalizing circles.

“Come on then,” Ty Lee murmured, helping Mai shift upright and bending her legs softly so Mai could see the inscription left in her skin, right in the middle of the soft part of her inner thigh. Right where her sheath and tiny blade sat. The skin around the cuts was red with her own blood.

和 – hé. “What meaning did you want for it?” Mai asked, aware there were many possibilities.

Ty Lee smiled. “Pretty much all of them. Peaceful and harmonious. Gentle and kind. Warm and temperate. To make peace.”

Mai felt her throat close up in a rush of emotion. She didn’t know what to say, only what she wanted to do. She pulled Ty Lee up and held her close, and for the first time that night, kissed her.

Ty Lee gasped into her mouth, hands roving over Mai’s body desperately. Mai put everything into the kiss, hoping to convey the depth of her emotion. She pulled at Ty Lee’s top, for the girl was still fully clothed to contrast Mai’s nakedness, and slid her silken shorts down her wide hips.

Mai grasped at her rounded ass, cupping it in her hands as Ty Lee grinded down urgently against her body, seeking friction, letting out quiet desperate moans into Mai’s mouth.

Heat was flushing throughout Mai’s body, and for the first time that night, she realized the enormity of the situation. She was lying with her best friend, her only true friend. There had never been any signs of this between them before, she pondered distractedly. But well… That was not strictly true.

Mai brought her hands back up to rub Ty Lee’s erect nipples, thinking about how she had more than once had to stop herself from staring at Ty Lee as she bathed in rivers and lakes during Azula’s crazed journey. How, when she was feeling a certain way late at night, she thought of flexible forms and disembodied cheery laughs.

“I- I never expected this,” she panted as Ty Lee moved to kissing her neck. “I never thought it could happen.”

“I thought of it often,” Ty Lee murmured simply against the sweaty skin of Mai’s neck, and dragged her teeth gently. Mai shivered with her whole body, and she could feel Ty Lee’s lips form a grin. “Although I must admit, I never dreamt of your predilections in this sense.”

“What do you mean?” Mai asked, head fuzzy from the pleasure.

“Pain.” Ty Lee’s hands slipped south, rubbing her clit in sharp, purposeful movements. The other held Mai’s bony hip in a tight grip that was sure to bruise. Mai didn’t want her to stop, the pleasure coursing through her body.

_Oh,_ Mai realized. She liked pain.

“And control. Or the lack of,” Ty Lee continued. “I bet you’d love to be tied up. I could do anything to you and you couldn’t stop me.” With that, she slid down Mai’s body quickly, and took up her place between her legs, not wasting any time before she dove into Mai’s lips, tongue pounding an intent rhythm against her clit, hands tight around each upper thigh, pressing her legs firmly into the bed, stopping her from moving.

Mai’s pants grew louder and louder, pathetic mewls escaping from her lips. Ty Lee didn’t let up, pushing Mai’s legs further apart until she could not move any more, splayed wide and open for Ty Lee to do as she fancied with her. Mai felt so exposed, and it just made her wetter, as Ty Lee sat back and admired her, running one finger from her swollen clit to her entrance, plunging it inside Mai briefly before dragging it out so slowly Mai thought she might just die there and then.

“I’m so close,” she muttered, staring at the ceiling in a desperate attempt to hold back the metaphorical flood gates. “One more touch…”

Ty Lee grinned. “Awh, just one more?” and she delved forward, finger tapping an intense beat against something inside Mai that sparked pleasure with each touch, tongue lapping a concurrent rhythm deep inside Mai, over and over and over and Mai was _so_ close she couldn’t bare it, until she was falling over the edge, pushing small panting screams out of her mouth as the pleasure overtook her senses.

The sensation slowly abated, leaving Mai with a warm buzzing sensation in her core and an abject rush of tiredness. She moaned softly, forcing her eyes open, to see Ty Lee still sitting between her legs, one hand on her clit and the other buried deep inside herself, both hands moving rapidly.

Tiredness forgotten, Mai darted forward. “Hey, that’s for me to do!” she exclaimed, pushing Ty Lee until she collapsed backward and was lying with her head at the bottom of the large bed. Ty Lee laughed, a delighted look overcoming her face as she settled into place, eyes shutting in anticipation.

Mai slowly pushed her legs open, and took her first proper look at Ty Lee. The soft brown curls were neatly trimmed, and Mai stroked them softly as she caught her bearings. Ty Lee grunted softly as she pushed herself onto her elbows, head raising to look at Mai.

“Have you done this before?” she questioned gently, eyes calm and welcoming. Mai shook her head, and Ty Lee continued – “you don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

“No!” Mai yelped, cutting over her lover. “No,” she repeated more sedately. “I want to. I just need a moment to decide how best to take you apart.” At this, Ty Lee moaned and collapsed back down, wriggling her ass against the bed in anticipation.

Mai decided on a plan of action, and moved her hand to Mai’s clit, touching gently in exploration.

“Oh, warm,” Ty Lee moaned at the touch. “Your hands. So soft and – oh! Tickles!” she exclaimed, laughing and edging away from Mai’s hand. “You’re too gentle, you need to be firm!”

Mai concentrated her attention on following Ty Lee’s instruction, using what she remembered from Ty Lee’s technique earlier in the hopes that it was how Ty Lee herself enjoyed being touched. It seemed to be working, as Ty Lee’s giggles had melted away and were replaced with tiny pants, eyes screwed shut. Mai leant forward to kiss Ty Lee’s stomach, which resulted in more twitching of Ty Lee’s tight stomach muscles as the touch set her off laughing again.

“You’re very sensitive,” Mai commented, dragging a finger along Ty Lee’s inner thigh softly, watching the wave of Ty Lee’s body gyrate from the sensation.

“Always have been,” Ty Lee gasped, “but you’re so delicate, so gentle, it’s like it’s turned all my senses up.”

“Hmm,” Mai murmured, deciding on her next plan of action. She leaned forward and gently blew a stream of warm air against Ty Lee’s clit, then oh so softly fleetingly lapped at the nubbin, leaving Ty Lee pushing her hips in the air in an attempt to chase the sensation.

Slowly, Mai pushed her lips aside, leaving her clit exposed, and closed her mouth fully over it, to the gasps of Ty Lee. The girl tasted a bit salty from sweat, with an undertone of cherry, which seemed just so _Ty Lee_ that Mai couldn’t help but giggle.

“What?” Ty Lee questioned, her words coming out stuttered. Mai continued to explore with her tongue, stroking delicate patterns of characters until she felt Ty Lee had waited long enough for a response.

“You taste exactly how I imagined,” she said huskily. At this, Ty Lee gave a sharp laugh and hit her head off the bed in seeming frustration.

“Oh spirits, I am _not_ going to last,” she moaned, writhing in the sheets as Mai returned to her task, slipping just one slender finger inside Ty Lee’s body. She clenched down on the intrusion as Mai slowly and carefully crooked it upward in search for the same motion that had given herself so much pleasure.

She knew she had found it when Ty Lee shuddered violently, arching her back in a sight most pleasing. “I’m _really_ not going to last,” Ty Lee repeated her sentiment, voice breaking.

“This does not give me due reason to pause,” teased Mai, muffled against Ty Lee’s body.

“I never said stop!” Ty Lee admonished, emphasizing her statement by thrusting her hips upward in search of more contact.

Mai gave her that contact she was seeking, licking with broad, steady, deep strokes from entrance to clit. Ty Lee squirmed, dropping her hips and surrendering to the treatment. Mai continued with the action, knowing that she had enjoyed it immensely herself and that the steady rhythm was key for achieving an orgasm.

It seemed to be having the desired effect, as Ty Lee’s breaths grew shorter and more ragged, being pulled deep from her chest. Her legs had dropped completely to the side, her flexible body allowing them to rest flat against the bed with no effort in order to allow Mai complete access.

Not more than a minute later of this repeated motion, than Ty Lee was desperately grasping at Mai’s hair, legs back in the air to clasp tight around Mai’s head, keeping her in place and not allowing her to do anything other than to continue her action. Mai surrendered to the captive state, feeling the warm fire that burned at her core flare at the sensation of servicing her lover without a say in the actions. She hungrily continued, lapping at the clit followed by the deep strokes that had Ty Lee hissing out, “I’m so close, oh spirits, oh Mai!”

Mai didn’t pause, just moved her tongue faster, crooking her fingers even more insistently inside Ty Lee’s body. Then, all of sudden, the legs around her head tightened tremendously and began to shake, the vibrations passing through all of Ty Lee’s body, clenching at Mai’s fingers inside her. Ty Lee let out a near-scream of pleasure and ecstasy as Mai didn’t dare stop, just stroked on and on with her tongue.

Ty Lee writhed for what seemed an age, legs tightening around Mai’s neck, pushing her further into her, pulsing in tiny motions as the orgasm washed over her body. Eventually, her muscles relaxed, legs dropping heavily onto Mai’s shoulders, then sliding down to rest on the bed. Mai smiled softly, gently stroking Ty Lee’s inner thigh as she waited patiently for her to relax fully.

“Hey,” she whispered, and Ty Lee lifted her head to peer at Mai blearily, a look of pure bliss on her face. Mai laughed, and climbed up the bed to lie next to Ty Lee, rolling onto her side to look at her face, grabbing her hand as she did so. 

“Hi,” Ty Lee managed back. “That was good.”

“Just good?” Mai replied, voice rising in faux offence. Ty Lee cringed and rushed to reassure her, before noticing the look on Mai’s face and stopping, rolling her eyes.

“It was amazing, actually,” she responded, tone sarcastic. Mai laughed, and Ty Lee softened, squeezing her hand. “It was amazing,” she repeated again, in a soft, confessing tone.

They lay there together for some time, Mai absent-mindedly stroking Ty Lee’s hair, the other girl’s face pressed against Mai’s shoulder. “I never imagined this,” Ty Lee whispered. “I told you I dreamed of it, which is true. But never in my wildest dreams…”

“I wasn’t aware that it was this I thought of,” Mai confessed. “I imagined bodies contorting in flexible ways, and soft skin. I never put the pieces together.”

“Flexible ways?” Ty Lee laughed in glee. “How in the heavens did you not realize?”

“I haven’t been the most present of late,” Mai admitted. “Or in a long while. I’ve avoided thinking about, well. Most things.”

“It’s been tough,” Ty Lee murmured. “I’ve enjoyed having you here. But it’s strange. We lived such an active life before, and now it seems like you aren’t happy or fulfilled.”

“I’m not,” Mai said shamefully, closing her eyes against Ty Lee’s questioning look from where she laid against Mai’s shoulder. “I didn’t know where to go from… Well. And then I just settled into the monotony of life here. You are kept busy with your passion, but I can’t even begin to attempt to discover mine, let alone follow through like you did.”

“Many people feel this way,” Ty Lee replied. “I know that some of the Avatar’s companions are struggling. We have known nothing but war, which we participated in at the very front lines as mere children. Our lives were never ours in the first place.”

“It was when I felt most alive,” Mai said quietly.

“Death is often a good motivator to feel alive,” sighed Ty Lee. “War gives a purpose, a goal. We tracked the Avatar, and Zuko. We captured them, we lost them, we continued on our journey. We stood by Azula unwaveringly. Until we could no longer do so.”

“I felt so stupid for so long,” Mai admitted. “To be taken in by both siblings. Azula, who I thought I was following for a just cause. And then Zuko, who I gave my everything for, and lost regardless.”

“You didn’t lose him,” Ty Lee said softly. “People grow apart. If you were to send him a hawk now, his response would be within the day. He cares for you deeply.”

“I’m not certain I care for him anymore,” Mai muttered, more to herself than anything. “I have found it hard to move past…everything,” she confessed. “Ba Sing Se was not the fresh start it could have been.”

“It’s unrealistic to expect a change of location to solve underlying issues,” Ty Lee responded.

“Spirits, when did you get so wise?” Mai questioned, wondering at her friend.

Ty Lee chuckled. “I had similar issues, you realize. I have spoken at length with many wise people, and learned some tidbits of wisdom along the way.”

Mai swallowed. It had been years, now. Years of stagnating in place, not leaving the household, being bored but unwilling to change her circumstances. Perhaps it was time to move forward.

“Might you be able to contact some of these people for me?” she asked softly, feeling heat rising to her cheeks as she admitted her vulnerability.

Ty Lee nodded gently, and squeezed Mai’s hand tightly, kissing her shoulder. She didn’t speak another word, just held Mai close as the night fell fully on the room, illuminated by the sole candle by Mai’s desk.

They lay there for what felt like hours, not speaking. Mai felt her eyes start to close with sleep, and she shifted her weight, readjusting to prepare for sleep. As she did so, she felt the sharp point of the abandoned dagger poke into her thigh, pricking her skin.

Mai reached down, and brought the dagger into her hand, groping on the sheets for the sheath and holster. She slipped the blade inside the sheath, and fastened the blade against her thigh, feeling the leather rub against the open cuts on her leg. _To make peace._ The sheath was uncomfortable, the tightness of the holster exacerbating the sensation of the neat wounds. Beside her, Ty Lee sighed in her sleep, shifting against Mai’s body as her leg slide between Mai’s, seeking comfort.

Peace would be made, Mai thought. But for now, it wouldn’t do to sleep unarmed. She left the holster on, the small dagger inscribed with _solitude_ where it always was.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this - please do let me know what you think! Apologies for the oddly-stilted sex scenes, I'm not very experienced writing smut!


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